The best Mets player to wear number 18

When thinking about New York Mets players to wear number 18, I think of Moises Alou who wore it during his short tenure in Queens. I also think of guys like Travis d'Arnaud and Bret Saberhagen who wore number 18 for only part of their time with the Mets. Jose Peraza is the most recent Met to wear the number and he had tremendous success as a clutch bench bat.

While those were names that come to mind, none of them come close to Darryl Strawberry.

Darryl Strawberry is in my opinion the most feared hitter the Mets have ever had. Standing at 6'6" Strawberry had a very clear presence in the box. In his eight years with the Mets he holds the franchise record with 252 career home runs.

Darryl Strawberry is the best Mets player to wear number 18

Strawberry's impact was felt right away when he was the 1983 National League Rookie of the Year after hitting 26 home runs and stealing 19 bases.

The following season saw Strawberry make his first of eight consecutive all-star teams, seven of which came as a representative of the Mets.

Strawberry's best season came in 1987 when he slashed .284/.398/.583 with 39 home runs and 104 RBI. He was an all-star and finished sixth in the National League MVP balloting. He tacked on 32 doubles and stole 36 bases. His .981 OPS was at that time the highest mark in a single season in Mets history and is now the fifth highest.

He followed that up by leading the league with 39 home runs and he also drove in 101 runs. He led the National League in slugging and OPS as well. He finished second in the National League MVP balloting and won his first Silver Slugger Award.

Strawberry averaged 32 home runs and 92 RBI as a Met per season along with 23 doubles and 24 stolen bases.

His status as the franchise's home run leader and the fact that he was one of the best players on the 1986 World Series winning Mets are why Strawberry is not only the best right fielder the Mets have ever had, he's the best outfielder in Mets history. He's also arguably the most complete offensive player the Mets have ever had with his combination of power and speed.